I wrote on Tuesday about this beautiful old church in Maryland. It had an upgrade to the windows in 2023. I don’t know how much of the rest has changed — I met someone who suggested that the tabernacle might be pretty old — but I’m sure that the light from newly repurposed stained glass windows makes the whole church look amazing. Here’s the sanctuary.

That tabernacle is spectacular, and the chandelier-looking thing hanging down is the tabernacle light. If you imagine a normal size priest accessing the tabernacle doors you can guess at the incredible size of the painting above the altar. I love the angels on either side and when I go back I’m going to find out what is carved underneath the altar.

The beautiful old baptismal font, with the evangelists around the bottom and Saint John the Baptist up top, rests on a floor that surely was redone recently. Lovely polish and inlay. You can see the Marian altar behind it, again demonstrating the incredible scale of the architecture. The stand for the Pascal candle probably has to be accessed from the steps behind it!

Here’s the altar with Saint Joseph. The scale is still mind boggling.

Having been dwarfed by the incredible life-size statuary, surrounded by thirty foot pillars, this little statue was quite a change. It is about three feet high and sits on a ledge against the far left wall of the church, near the Marian altar. The ledge is placed so that the statue is right at eye level, in a friendly way. I had no idea who it was.

I asked the internet, which replied with great certainty. I mean that Google said, “This is almost certainly Saint Vincent Ferrar.” Okay. I still didn’t know anything. But that was my loss. Saint Vincent Ferrer was a saint of the late 1300’s. He was a miracle worker, a fiery preacher, and a Dominican who supported one of the antipopes. It wasn’t held against him at the time, or since.

Rule: A male saint, wearing a Dominican outfit, who is NOT Saint Dominic (who holds a staff with a crucifix on top, as well as a book) or Saint Thomas Aquinas, who is, uh, larger and usually shown writing, is most often Saint Vincent Ferrer. The upward pointing finger is classic. When Saint Vincent’s finger doesn’t point up, it holds fire.

A very entertaining and educational visit! Definitely planning to go back. And there’s a cemetery associated with the parish across the street with Revolutionary war soldiers buried there.